The present invention relates to cigarettes and other such types of smoking articles, and in particular to those smoking articles having at least one salt of an organic acid incorporated therein.
Cigarettes are popular smoking articles which have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge of tobacco (i.e., in cut filler form) surrounded by a wrapper, such as paper, thereby forming a tobacco rod. Currently, popular cigarettes include blends of tobacco materials, the majority of the blends having nicotine contents in the range from about 1.2 percent to about 2.25 percent, more frequently from about 1.4 percent to about 2 percent, and most frequently from about 1.6 percent to about 1.8 percent, based on the dry weight of the tobacco materials. It has become desirable to manufacture a cigarette having a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, a filter element is manufactured from fibrous materials (e.g., cellulose acetate tow) and is circumscribed by plug wrap, attached to the tobacco rod using a circumscribing tipping material.
Popular cigarettes classified as "full flavor" cigarettes deliver a desirable tobacco taste, flavor and satisfaction to the smoker. Typically, the "full flavor" cigarettes yield about 14 mg or more of FTC "tar" per cigarette. A second classification of popular cigarettes is the "full flavor low tar" classification. Typically, the "full flavor low tar" cigarettes yield from about 8 to about 14 mg of FTC "tar" per cigarette, as well as lower levels of FTC nicotine as compared to "full flavor" cigarettes. A third classification of popular cigarettes is the "ultra low tar" classification. Such "ultra low tar" cigarettes yield still lower levels of FTC "tar" and nicotine. Typically, the "ultra low tar" cigarettes yield less than about 7 mg of FTC "tar" per cigarette. The "full flavor low tar" and "ultra low tar" cigarettes conventionally are air diluted (e.g., provided with mechanical or laser perforations in the periphery of the mouthend region thereof), or have filter elements highly efficient for the removal of "tar" and nicotine from the mainstream smoke.
In general, the perceived taste or strength of the cigarettes classified as having lower levels of "tar" and nicotine are progressively less than that of the cigarettes which are classified as approaching the characteristics of the "full flavor" cigarettes. It has been proposed to add numerous flavorants to the cut filler of lower "tar" cigarettes to enhance the taste, strength and satisfaction of such cigarettes. However, such addition generally yields mainstream smoke which may be perceived as harsh or irritating to the mouth, nose and throat of the smoker.
Additionally, it is possible to employ tobaccos having a naturally high nicotine content as cut filler to enhance the tobacco taste, strength and satisfaction of such cigarettes. However, cigarettes having high nicotine contents (e.g., which include tobacco blends having natural nicotine contents above about 2.25 weight percent) generally have the propensity to yield unpalatable mainstream smoke which may be perceived as harsh or irritating to the mouth, nose and throat of the smoker.
It would be desirable to provide a cigarette such as an "ultra low tar" cigarette which is capable of delivering a good tobacco taste, strength and smoking satisfaction characteristic of a "full flavor low tar" cigarette while being perceived as palatable but not as overly harsh or irritating. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a cigarette, such as a "full flavor low tar" cigarette, which is capable of delivering a good tobacco taste, strength and smoking satisfaction characteristic of a "full flavor" cigarette while being perceived as palatable but not as overly harsh or irritating. Furthermore, it would be desirable to improve the smoking character of cigarettes which employ tobaccos or other tobacco materials having a wide range of nicotine contents.